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Question

Recurring scripting error.

Feb 18, 2016 7:28AM PST

Whenever I go on my Amazon site and browse, I eventually get a white screen with my cursor showing an hourglass. My only option is to close the window. When I reopen Firefox 44, I get a dialog box asking if I want to de-bug the script, continue, or stop the script. I stop the script and I'm allowed to continue for a few seconds and then it happens again.
I have two laptops in the same room running off of the same wifi. One is an Asus with Windows 8.1 and the other is an HP with Windows 7. The problem only occurs on the HP with Windows 7. It's keeping me from doing business with Amazon on that laptop. How can I get rid of this problem?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: scripting error
Feb 18, 2016 7:36AM PST
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Re: Scripting Error
Feb 18, 2016 7:45AM PST

The problem is gone if I use the other laptop also, and I know I said it's keeping me from doing business with Amazon on that machine. I meant without switching browsers. I don't want to work around the issue. I want to solve it. I'm looking for a reason this would happen on one laptop and not the other and how to exorcise it from my machine. How can I stop that script before it starts?

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Re: stop script
Feb 18, 2016 8:02AM PST

You can't stop that script, I'm afraid, although you can try if you can using the Noscript addon.

My suggestion is to refresh Firefox and hope that solves it. Then it's caused by some add-on or plug-in or setting, and your job is to find out which one.

Kees

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Stop Script
Feb 18, 2016 8:13AM PST

I have the No Script add on. It doesn't help. The output from the debug option in the dialog box in Firefox may help a tech but it gave me a readout with no way to proceed with the info. Thanks for your assistance thus far. If I could get an id on the script and copy and paste the info here, would that possibly help you to figure out how to stop it? By the way, this problem began about a week ago after a couple of years of using the site without incident. A lot of it has been with this laptop also, the HP that's now affected.

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Re: stop script
Feb 18, 2016 8:27AM PST

If for some reason you don't want to refresh Firefox and start researching yourself, you can reset Windows to it's factory conditions and reinstall Firefox. That should surely solve it, but it's a lot of work,

Kees

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Stop Script
Feb 18, 2016 8:40AM PST

The reason I don't want to refresh Firefox is that, that seems like a lot of work also. It says it doesn't save add ons but will save extensions. I'm not sure of the difference and Firefox themselves have played fast and loose with the terminology, if you ask a relative novice. It seems that when you're searching for them they're called add-ons but when you install them, they become extensions. I have a long sheet of extensions. I'm worried about them being considered add ons and not saved. By the way, none have been added recently enough to have caused this problem to suddenly appear.

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Given the story
Feb 18, 2016 9:19AM PST

I don't think anyone can guess what it is. Firefox does have a way to disable extensions/addons (I'll forego naming it or that.) So you can try clearing cache and disabling until you find it.

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Re: add ons
Feb 18, 2016 12:02PM PST

With FEBE (a quite useful add-on) you can make a backup of practically everything, including all installed add-ons and their settings.

But, as Bob suggest, disabling add-ons to see if it makes a difference is quick and harmless. With 7 restarts you can find the 1 in 128 that is the cause (it it's one).

Kees

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Add Ons
Feb 18, 2016 12:18PM PST

I know you guys are right. I'm in denial because of the work involved. First though, I've got to experience the phenomenon again. So far, I've been back to the site about 5 times just to check and everything is ok. If it happens again, it's process of elimination. I'll let you know. Thanks guys for your time.

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Answer
Export favorites then install latest
Feb 18, 2016 12:54PM PST

If you tried everything, I suggest you look at exporting the favorites, thus save it for later re-use. Then totally de-install the Firefox and I tend to use CCleaner to help clean the PC after that action. Once done and having thr latest Firefox install, reboot the system. Do the Firefox install and find your favorites and import them back. Select the settiing you think you need and save them or just try the website with the issues and see if problem is gone. If that doesn't fix it, then Firefox has an issue and await whatever fixes they provide, understand you're using ver.# 44, so that has gone through many changes. If you haven't already, I suggest you check or review the latest JAVA and Flashplayer updates, even if not called for they're usually related to some browser problems one way or another.

tada -----Willy Happy

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Export Favorites
Feb 18, 2016 1:01PM PST

Thanks. Do you have a link where I could learn about exporting favorites and importing them back? I understand the idea but I need to learn how to actually do it. By the way, I'm familiar with Ccleaner. I understand that part of it also. Thanks again.

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Re: export favorites
Feb 18, 2016 1:19PM PST

By default, Firefox exports it's bookmarks (that's the term to use, 'Favorites' is IE-speak) every day. Ain't it nice?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/restore-bookmarks-from-backup-or-move-them tells much more.
Let me tell you how I found that page. I typed FIREFOX IMPORT EXPORT BOOKMARKS in the search field next to the address bar (that's configured to google with me, in the USA it might be yahoo by default, but it's easy to change if you prefer google) and it was the third hit. One of the nice things of Firefox is it excellent help on its own support site.

Kees

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Export Favorites
Feb 18, 2016 4:28PM PST

Thanks, I'll try that.

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Export Favorites
Feb 26, 2016 10:40AM PST

I'm back, as promised. I have gone on the Amazon site some 20+ times since I created a new bookmark and deleted the old one and the script problem has not returned. I'm considering the problem solved, although I'm not sure why that solved the problem. Thanks everyone for your time and effort.